Luciano Darderi is the higher-ranked player and has enjoyed the more successful season, but Botic van de Zandschulp stands out here based on his superior hard-court experience. He also has an excellent record at this venue, having reached the semi-finals on his debut and finished runner-up last year.
Van de Zandschulp Seeks Another Big Win Before The US Open
- Botic van de Zandschulp has a 2–0 record in third-round matches at Winston-Salem.
- He has a 4–12 record against Top 50 players in 2026.
- Luciano Darderi has a 0–1 record in third-round matches at Winston-Salem.
- He has won 15 of his last 19 matches against players outside the Top 50.
HTH
This will be their first meeting.
Van de Zandschulp Builds on His Winston-Salem Form
Botic van de Zandschulp defeated Adolfo Daniel Vallejo in comfortable straight sets to reach the third round in Winston-Salem, 6-2, 6-0. He saved the only break point he faced and converted five of the six break points he created.
The 30-year-old has cleared the opening-round hurdle twice before in Winston-Salem and reached at least the semifinal on both occasions. He will now be hoping for another deep run this week.
He struggled for consistency in the middle of the season, winning only two matches across seven tour-level events, but broke that slump by reaching the fourth round in Montreal earlier this month. He will now look to build on that momentum.
He has reached the quarterfinals twice this year, in Rotterdam and Bucharest, along with third-round appearances in Rome and at the Australian Open.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Country | Netherlands |
| Age | Born 04 October 1995 |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| World Ranking | No. 71 |
| Career High | No. 22 (29 August 2022) |
| Elo Ranking | No. 78 |
| Tour-Level Titles | 0 |
Darderi Continues His Hard-Court Resurgence
Luciano Darderi defeated Mattia Bellucci from a set down to reach the third round in Winston-Salem, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2. He lost his serve twice but converted three of the 12 break points he created.
The Italian retired in his opening match in Los Cabos a few weeks ago but impressively bounced back by reaching the quarterfinals in Montreal, which marked his first run of consecutive main-draw wins at a hard-court Masters event. He will now look to build on that result this week.
The 24-year-old has posted 10 quarterfinal-or-better results on tour this year, including three finals and a semifinal in Rome, along with a fourth-round appearance at the Australian Open. Those results helped him make his Top 20 debut a few months ago.
Last year, he lost at this stage in Winston-Salem to Miomir Kecmanovic in straight sets. With improved form and a higher ranking, he will be looking for a better result this time.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Country | Italy |
| Age | Born 14 February 2002 |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| World Ranking | No. 22 |
| Career High | No. 16 (18 May 2026) |
| Elo Ranking | No. 36 |
| Tour-Level Titles | 5 |